The Key to Control
by xEryChan
Summary: Caitlin has been struggling with learning how to control her powers and it shows from time to time. She is no closer than she was when she was younger. Could a visit from her friends possibly show her what the key is and has been all along? One-shot


**This was written for Psychic in the Psychic in the 2017 Shippers Secret Santa. I decided to combine two/three of her prompts into this story but it will take too long to list them all. Caitlin is a very interesting character and I hope I kept her in character. There is one mention of the Black & White anime but that is all there is, most of this is tied to the games. **

**That's all I have to say. Enjoy...**

* * *

Who was the idiot who told Caitlin that learning to control her powers would be easy? It would come to her naturally as she got older. Oh yeah, her father. He always used to tell her not to worry about it and especially not to freak out.

"It will all come together in the end, Caitlin. Trust me." Those were those words he always used to say to her. "As you get older, you will learn. It just takes some time."

 _What a big fat lie,_ Caitlin bitterly thought. That literally could not have been further from the truth. She is currently in her twenties and she still is not any closer than she was before. It was really beginning to frustrate her too. _How can I be a good member of the Elite Four if I can't learn to control these psychic powers that I was born with. I did not ask for this, I do not even want these powers._

And that was true. She truly does not want her powers but seeing as how she was born with them, she knew she was not going to get rid of them anytime soon.

She had come to learn how to live with them. It did get easier as time passed, but she still does have the same problem she always had. If she got upset, she would accidentally destroy some buildings. She honestly could not count the number of times where the Pokemon League in Unova had to be rebuilt because of her powers. If she could just figure out what the key is to controlling her powers, everything would be different.

Never has Caitlin told anyone about her powers. Literally the only people who know about her dilemma are the people who are connected to the Pokemon League. Grimsley, Marshall, and Shauntal. Plus, the champion of the Unova Region, who happens to be a teenager from Aspertia City named Nate. That's it.

The only reason she will not tell anyone is because she knows if she told the truth, some people will open their mouths when they know nothing about it.

Which is something Caitlin would rather not deal with.

 _Everything will be okay in the end._ That is something she has told herself for so long and at one point, she really did believe it. But now, she is not sure anymore.

The sound of someone knocking on her door snapped Caitlin out of her own thoughts.

"Hey, Caitlin!" She could hear Shauntal's voice on the other side of the door. "What are you doing in there? You're not sleeping again, are you?"

 _Lovely, this is just what I need now._ Can't she go bother Grimsley or Marshall? Why is it always me? "What do you want, Shauntal?l" Caitlin asked while rolling her eyes. "Don't you have some books to write or something?"

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." Shauntal could not help but let out a giggle, much to Caitlin's dismay. "I just came to see what you are up to and to let you know we have the rest of week. Nate is leaving to go to the Alola Region tomorrow morning."

 _Lucky him!_ "That's nice of him."

"Yeah." Shauntal laughed again and smiled.

Nate is, of course, the current champion of Unova and Caitlin's current boss. Being only fifteen years old, he was quite the Pokemon trainer.

At first, Caitlin was not happy about the fact that her boss was a teenager but as time went on, she came to accept it. He was an extremely gifted trainer who really cares for his Pokemon. Not only that, he always gave his all in battle, which is something Caitlin saw when she battled him for the first time.

Many trainers have come from far away to battle him and not once has anyone beat him in battle. That is how good of a trainer he is and Caitlin was proud to call him her boss.

"Do you have any idea what you're going to do during the week?" Caitlin looked up at Shauntal again when she asked that. "Yeah, do you have any plans for this week?"

Caitlin shook her head. "Not now. I'm probably just going to go to my Villa in Undella Town. I'm sure I'll figure something out when I get there. Knowing me, I'll probably spend the whole week on the beach."

To be honest, Caitlin could use a nice vacation. All the stress from her powers is getting to her. She could not wait to get to Undella Town and just lay on the beach under a umbrella in the sun, not having a care in the world. She was extremely grateful to Nate for deciding to go to the Alola Region for the week and letting the Elite Four members have the whole week off.

"Sounds like a plan."

"What about you?"

"I don't know yet." Shauntal frowned.

"You're more than welcome to join me, if you want to."

"Thanks, Caitlin. I appreciate the offer but I'm gonna head back home. I have this book that I really want to finish."

"I understand but the offer still stands even after you finish your book." Caitlin gave Shauntal a smile. "Well, good luck with your book, Shauntal."

"Thanks, Caitlin." Shauntal turned to make her way towards the door. "Enjoy Undella."

Caitlin could not help but smile as she watched Shauntal leave and she was alone yet again. She immediately turned around to look at one of the pictures in her room, the one of her and her father from when she was a little girl, and she sighed sadly. _Oh, how I miss you, father. I hope you are looking down on me and I hope I have made you proud._

 _And I promise I will do my very best._

00000

Undella Town was rather peaceful and quiet. Not only that but it was a very beautiful day out, not a cloud in the sky. That is exactly how Caitlin likes it.

It feels so good to be back here. Without even a second though, Caitlin withdrew all of her PokeBalls. "Come on out, everyone!" She shouted and threw all of her PokeBalls in the air and all of her Pokemon came out. Among them was a Sigilyph, Musharna, Gothitelle, Metagross, Espeon, and her newest one, a female Meowstic that she caught a while ago while she was in the Kalos Region.

The other five Psychic-type Pokemon looked at the newest addition in shock and that was when it dawned on Caitlin that they had yet to meet the cat-like Pokemon. "Oh guys, this is Meowstic. She will be your friend from now on. I expect you all to be nice to her as you were with each other."

They all smiled and greeted Meowstic, which made Caitlin smile in return. "So, guys. We have the whole week here so lets make the most of it, okay." All of her Pokemon agreed. "So, let's go relax on the beach!"

Caitlin went back to change into her swimsuit quickly before coming back out. "Alright, let's go,"

With that, they all went running out to the beach.

They spent the whole day at the beach before Caitlin decided she had enough. All she did was lay under her umbrella while some of her Pokemon played in the water. Nothing made Caitlin happier than to see her Pokemon having a good time and enjoying themselves. It was something they needed too. She has been pushing them so hard during her battles as a member of the Elite Four, all they needed was a day to kick back and relax.

Same goes for her as well.

Once she arrived back at her villa, she immediately went into the kitchen to see what she had that she could eat. "Are you guys hungry? I can make us all something to eat really fast?" She asked as she opened the door to her refrigerator.

But before her Pokemon had the chance to answer, there was a knock on her door. Caitlin turned around when she heard it, surprised because she clearly had not expected anyone to drop by unannounced. Who could be at the door at this time? She asked herself as she closed her refrigerator. "Coming!" She yelled as she made her way to the door and when she opened it, she was shocked at who was at that the door.

Cynthia, the current champion of the Sinnoh Region. "Cynthia!"

"Hello Caitlin." Cynthia greeted Caitlin with a smile and a wave.

"What are you doing here, not that I'm not happy to see you or anything?"

"I heard from Shauntal that you were coming so I figured I might as well drop by, since I'm in Unova and all."

"Well, I'm glad you did."

"Oh, and I'm not alone." Cynthia turned around and Caitlin could see Shauntal, as well as a few gym leaders, Elesa, Skyla, and Lenora. "Guys, why are you all here?" Seeing all of them made Caitlin really confused nevertheless, she was very happy to see them.

"We heard from Shauntal how stressed you seemed to be earlier so we decided to come and spend a couple of days with you. There is nothing better to relieve stress than hanging out with good friends." Skyla enthusiastically told Caitlin, which maher giggle a bit to herself. _That is so like her._

"You guys." Caitlin whispered to herself.

"Get ready because we are taking you out to the nicest restaurant in Unova, our treat." Elesa closed her eyes and smiled.

It was at that moment that Caitlin realized how lucky she was to have such good friends, who were willing to drop all of their plans to come to see her and cheer her up when she really needed it. They were always there for her when she needed them and she could not be more grateful to them.

But still, there is not a day that goes by that Caitlin did not wish that she was normal. That she was born without these powers. That she did not have to learn how to control these powers. Lastly, the trouble her powers have caused and how she is struggling everyday to control them.

Maybe one day, which is clearly not today.

"Caitlin, are you coming." She could hear Skyla's voice from outside and immediately snapped back to reality. All of her friends were outside waiting for her and she never heard them leave.

"Yeah, I'm coming." She said and walked out of her villa, closing the door behind her.

00000

The walk back from the restaurant was nice for the six girls. They kept talking while walking around Reversal Mountain and Caitlin could not keep the smile off of her face the whole time.

It was getting late and Caitlin was sad to think that as soon they got back to her villa, all of her friends were going to leave. Truth be told, Caitlin could not remember the last time she had gone out and actually enjoyed herself. She wished it could never end.

"Come on, guys!" Skyla shouted to her friends as she ran. She was only a few feet in front of the rest of the group. "You are as slow as molasses!"

"Typical Skyla," Caitlin mumbled softly to herself as she laughed quietly to herself. She's as energetic as ever.

"Did you say something?" Shauntal asked, looking at Caitlin.

Caitlin, of course, responded by shaking her head. "No, I was just thinking. That's all." She told Shauntal. "Say, what are the guys doing? Why couldn't they join us tonight?"

"Chili and Cress are too busy at the restaurant. Cilan is traveling through Johto by himself." Elesa said.

 _That's right, I forgot about that._ Caitlin remembered. After traveling through Unova with one of the gym leaders of Opelucid City, Iris and a trainer from the Kanto Region, Cilan left to go to Johto alone. That's about all that Caitlin knows, that he is somewhere in the Johto Region and she hopes he is enjoying himself, wherever he is.

"Clay is in Hoenn for work. Roxie is too busy preparing for her next gig." Elesa explained to Caitlin, which, most definitely, did not come as a shock. Roxie is a guitarist, who says she could use all of the practice she could get.

"I spoke to Burgh on the phone and he says he's too busy being a bug whisperer to join us tonight."

Caitlin could not help but to laugh at that. That is so like Burgh. He is always too busy being one with the bug Pokemon but at this point, she is used to it. That is just how Burgh is.

As soon as the others saw Caitlin laughing, they started laughing as well as they reached the point where they began to walk around the mountain. They were getting closer to arriving back at Caitlin's villa. It should be a rather easy walk at this point. Or so Caitlin thought.

On the side of the mountain while walking through the first time around, Caitlin saw a bunch of rocks that looked like they could come off at any second. On the way to the restaurant, Caitlin remember thinking that it did not look safe at all.

She had no idea how it happened but some of the rocks began to fall down the side of the mountain, heading straight for the Mistralton Gym Leader.

Caitlin's eyes widened in sheer terror when she saw what was happening. "Skyla!" She could hear Elesa shout at the top of the her lungs at Skyla, who seemed to have no idea about the immediate danger she was in.

The redhead Gym Leader turned to look at her friends. As she turned, she noticed the rocks falling down the mountain heading right for her. "Help!" Skyla shouted with tears in her eyes before falling to the ground, unable to move. "Somebody please help me!"

Caitlin knew she had to do something. Skyla would be crushed to death if she did nothing. Calling out one of her Pokemon and using it to stop the rocks would take too long. She was the only one that could save Skyla.

There had to be something she could do to help Skyla.

Skyla put her hands up to cover her face and screamed, although she knew all along it was futile. She is about to die. She is about to be crushed to death. But the rocks never made contact with her. She moved her hands and looked to see the rocks stopped right above her. A thin blue line coated them so Skyla looked over to see Caitlin with her hands in the air and her hands were the same color as the blue line around the rocks.

All Skyla could do was look at her friend in shock in confusion. Just what was Caitlin doing? And how was that even possible? "Caitlin..."

"Skyla!" Elesa called Skyla over and the latter stood up and ran over to where her friends are.

Once Skyla was out of harm's way, Caitlin turned to look at Elesa. "Elesa, call out your Zebstraika and have it use discharge." Elesa nodded her head and withdrew her PokeBall that contained her Zebstraika and threw it. A zebra-like Pokemon appeared, ready for its trainer to call an attack.

"Discharge!" Elesa shouted to her Pokemon, who let out a powerful bolt of electricity and easily destroyed the rocks, which caused everyone to sigh in relief.

Once Elesa returned Zebstraika to its PokeBall, she looked over at Caitlin in shock. "Caitlin, what is going on? How were you able to stop those rocks?"

"Umm.." Caitlin nervously sighed. She knows that they all deserve the truth but how is she supposed to tell them? She knows that after what had just went down in front of them she owes it to them, especially Skyla. But, she never even planned on having a conversation with them about her powers. She never even planned on telling them, to be honest.

"Caitlin," Shauntal called out to the blond, which caught her attention. "I think you should tell them."

"But..." Caitlin looked at Shauntal nervously.

"I know you're nervous but they deserve to know after all of this." Shauntal told her. "I promise they won't think any different of you."

Caitlin closed her eyes and sighed. Shauntal was right, she should just tell the truth about her powers. But she was nervous. She had kept that little bit of information a secret for so long that she did not know if she could tell anyone. One of her biggest fears was being looked at differently because of her powers.

But she also knew she had no choice. After saving Skyla before all of her friends must pretty much knew at this point. She really could not keep it a secret any longer.

She had to tell them the truth.

00000

"So let me get this straight." Skyla had her hand up in the air while she said that. Caitlin looked at her nervously as she awaited what else Skyla was going to say. "You have some psychic powers that you never told us about."

Caitlin nodded her head as she looked at the floor in her villa in shame. This is exactly what she was afraid. "I was born with them."

"But why didn't you ever tell us?" Elesa questioned the elite four member.

"I don't know!" Caitlin exclaimed nervously. "I guess I was just afraid of you guys looking at me differently if you found out."

Lenora, Skyla, Elesa, and Cynthia all looked at Caitlin, who was still looking at the ground sadly, in shock. "Why would you think that?"

"Well.." Caitlin said, unsure of what to say.

Shauntal cleared her throat, earning all of the room's occupants attention. "I believe I can answer your question, Elesa." Shauntal closed her eyes briefly before she continued. "Caitlin has not been able to find the key to controlling her powers. She did not want to say anything until she found out how to."

"How come you know, Shauntal?" Skyla could not help but ask.

"Everyone in the league knows about it. After all of the times I destroyed the Pokemon League, I had no choice but to tell them." Caitlin explained while keeping her eyes on the ground. "I understand why you guys are upset but please don't be upset with Shauntal. I had asked her not to say anything about it. I would explain it to all of you when I was ready. When I was able to control my powers."

Elesa, Lenora, Skyla, and Cynthia all looked at Caitlin as she was explaining why she hid it from them and they all could feel the guilt creeping up on them. "Oh Caitlin." Lenora said to herself.

"But I think I have found out how to control my powers because of what happened today." Caitlin said and looked up at her friends.

"Really." Skyla asked her.

Caitlin nodded her head. "When those rocks were coming toward you, Skyla, I knew I had to do something. I could not let anything happen to you. All of you are more than just my friends, you are family. It was the love I have for you guys that showed me what the key to controlling my powers is and has been all along. Love and friendship. I love you guys. Without you, I would not have realized that. Thank you. All of you."

Skyla was so moved by Caitlin's speech that she stood up to embrace her friend. She felt guilty that Caitlin had felt like she had to hide it from them. She could not have imagined how hard it has been for Caitlin but she was grateful that Caitlin realized the key in time to save her life.

Caitlin looked out the window at the sky and smiled. Oh father, if only you could see me now.

As sad as it was, it took Skyla nearly getting killed for Caitlin to realize how to control her powers. But Caitlin would not have it any other way. Her friends and family meant everything to her and she was beyond lucky to have them in her life.


End file.
